Malaria is a global problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, as many as 500 million people are afflicted. Most of the afflicted are pregnant women and young children because of their low or non-existent immunity to the disease. At least 800,000 children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa die every year from the disease.
Many organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have malaria control programs that focus at least in part on distributing mosquito nets that protect people from infectious mosquito bites while sleeping. While the typical nets that are currently distributed may be effective in households with beds for every family member, there are many drawbacks in other settings.
In many African communities, most children under five years old sleep on the floor of their homes. The mosquito nets that are currently distributed, which typically hang from the roof, are much less effective at preventing mosquito bites on children who sleep on the floor. Additionally, many homes in African communities are small mud huts with thatched roofs. This makes it very difficult to set up the hanging nets. Once hung, the nets are large and cumbersome, taking up a large amount of space in the small homes. Therefore, the nets are not only difficult to set up, but must be taken down during the day to create living space. In summary, the current net designs are relatively ineffective, cumbersome, and difficult to use on a daily basis for children who sleep on the floor in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.